Ernie Dosio, a 75-year-old vineyard owner, was hunting antelope in the central African nation of Gabon when the incident happened last Friday.
Dosio was a native of Lodi, California, and over the years had a large collection of hunting trophies, including elephants and lions. He was reportedly a household name at the Safari Club in Sacramento, Theguardian reports.
According to the Daily Mail, safari operator Collect Africa has confirmed the death of its client. The company also stated that the professional hunter who was guiding Dosi was seriously injured during the encounter. A retired hunter who knew him said:
“Ernie has been hunting since he knew how to own a rifle and has many trophies from Africa and the USA. Although many do not agree with hunting big game, all of his hunts were legal, permitted and registered as animal population control.”
The same Cape Town source described the event as a situation in which the elephants were “surprised” by the presence of Dosi and his guide.
Dosio was the owner of Pacific AgriLands Inc, which manages 12,000 acres of vineyard land in Modesto and offers services and equipment financing to winemakers. The US Embassy in Gabon is coordinating the return of his remains to California.
Gabon’s forests are home to around 95,000 forest elephants, representing the majority of the world’s population of this endangered species.
Every year, clients of the trophy hunting industry kill tens of thousands of wild animals around the world. Legal hunting tourism in Africa is popular among some wealthy Americans.
(Vijesti.ba)
